High Point
by Susan Zoe Bella
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
It’s only rock and roll but I hate it.
Groupies, parties, a cheating ex, and a dark night spawned a wake-up call. I’d
shifted my focus to work and avoiding social media. Singing lead for a famous
band had become nothing more than a steppingstone to my true dream of racing
Pro Motocross. I hadn’t dated in years. Then ‘she’ showed up and everything in
me longed to be with her. I was stoked she’d agreed to join me at High Point
Raceway for the weekend, even if it meant putting up with Mack. Better still,
Mia wasn’t a groupie, not even close. She wasn’t even a fan of our music. If
love at first sight had a name, it would be Mia Fringe and I had to make her mine.
~ Jett
I’d seen him in passing over the years. He was the
neighbor of my best friend. But we’d never officially been introduced until the
night Mackie badgered me into meeting him after attending his band’s concert. I
tried not to look awestruck, stunned that someone this gorgeous had been within
my scope for years but had not caught my attention. He had success written all
over him. Girls like me didn’t end up with guys like him. Recently unemployed,
still living on the family farm, and recovering from a nervous breakdown, I was
a mess. But Jett saw something in me that nobody else ever had…worth. ~ Mia
Action, drama, and chaos kick off right from the
start at High Point Raceway when Mackie has second thoughts about playing
matchmaker between Mia and Jett. However, when the week of bliss comes to an
end, Mia is heartbroken and confused as to why Jett doesn’t keep his promise.
She accepts a job as a reporter three thousand miles away to escape the pain.
Ten years later, Mia and Jett cross paths in the
most startling way. She’s about to discover the truth of what really happened
so long ago. Will she be able to trust Jett again when he pleads for a second
chance? Can love and forgiveness conquer a decade of hurt? It all goes down in
the dirt during the last race of the season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
A shadow of disappointment prowled through my mind. He’d
slammed on the brakes. I could’ve taken it as rejection. But he was no fool. He
was bound to uncover the truth before giving too much of himself.
“We forgot to bring lunch,” I pointed out as we entered the
cave.
“Oh yeah. I had other things on my mind. Maybe we’ll find
some berries.”
“In May?” I giggled. “For that matter, why not root around
in logs for honeycombs.”
He laughed. “We could do that.” Then he dipped his brows in
a comical expression and said in a deep voice, “I’ll fight off the bears for
you, my love.”
Love? He dropped the L-word? I stared at him. Was it a slip?
Or a mere casual expression? After all, Europeans used it very casually. My
thoughts went into overdrive. I hated when that happened.
“Let’s explore. Maybe the natives left behind some jerky,”
he teased with a grin.
“The eternal optimist,” I countered. “I love it.”
We wandered deeper into the cave between moss-covered slate
walls. Water trickled down the sides. The cave smelled musty. Something
skittered across the rocky floor. I screamed and leaped sideways.
“There are creepy crawlies in here!”
“I saw that,” he said. “No worries. They’re more afraid of
us than we are of them.”
“Uh…speak for yourself.” I shrieked again. “Jett!” I had
jumped onto a ledge a foot above ground and clung to the wall. “I’m not this
much country. Can we go please?”
“Okay, doll.” He smiled apologetically. “There’s nothing to
see in here anyway. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Something sticky brushed my face. I swatted frantically but
seemingly had entangled myself in a web. The more panicked I became the worse
things got. My flailing arms gathered more webbing. I slipped off the ledge in
all my thrashing about and tumbled to the ground, scraping my arms and legs on
the way down.
“Mia!” He caught my arms. “Stop. Baby, stop moving!”
“Oh no…” I whimpered. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” he replied calmly but apprehension snuck into his
voice. “Just stay very, very still, doll.”
“Omigosh,” I cried.
He snapped a twig from a branch sticking out of the wall and
in my peripheral vision his arm moved painstakingly slowly. I held my breath
and didn’t dare twitch. A couple of agonizing minutes later, he tossed the
stick aside then swept me into his arms.
“We should get the hell out of here,” he muttered.
I clung to him. “What was it?”
“You don’t wanna know.”
“Ew. Ew. Did it bite me? Am I okay?”
“Sshh, you’re safe now. It never touched your skin. It saw
all that beautiful blonde hair and thought, hm, a perfect place to spell out
the word radiant.”
“Omigosh. It was one of those…I can’t even say it. Ew. Ew.
Get me out of here.”
He broke into a run with me in his arms. I didn’t take a
full breath until we exited the cave.
“I need another bath.” I continued frenetically brushing my
arms and head, still in panic mode.
We made our way back to the waterhole and I didn’t hesitate
to strip down and dive in. I submerged myself, scrubbing my face and hair
furiously. He dove in with me. When I finally calmed down, convinced I’d rid
myself of anything that’d hitched a ride, I relaxed and casually swam around.
“Seems I’ve discovered your one fear,” he said upon swimming
over to me. “You don’t like bugs.”
“No. I don’t. Especially the kind that makes webs.” I
shivered at the thought.
“I’m really sorry.” He began to laugh. “I had no idea. I
don’t mean to laugh. Honest. I’m not mocking you. But you were a sight back
there.”
“Ha-ha.” I scowled. “Why’d you sound so urgent when telling
me to stop moving?”
“I didn’t want it to bite you. Those things typically aren’t
aggressive unless they feel threatened. And you, my dear, were definitely in a
frenzy.”
“Now I’m cold, hungry, and freaked out. I’m never going into
a cave again.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Topic: Please describe a pivotal scene in this book and why it's important.
The day after Jett spots Mia
lurking in the woods watching his band, making him revisit all the evidence as
to why she broke up with him. Once he finds the evidence of Kat and Mackie’s
devious plan, he races over to Mia’s house to talk with her, but she’s already
left for California. Jett briefly meets her mom and gets a glimpse of her life
on the farm. He’s heartsick over what happened and angry with himself for
falling for Kat’s tricks. This scene is from Jett’s point of view and portrays
his deep emotion over the entire situation while showing his inner strength and
integrity. In this scene, the reader is given a deeper insight into Jett’s
heart and values. This scene also is a major turning point for Jett as he faces
off with Mia’s enemies and makes a life-changing decision. I love this scene
because it shows how emotionally devastated Jett was when he found the note,
how emotions can cloud a person’s thinking, how people messing with others’
lives can cause so much damage, and how Jett’s love for Mia drives him to
uncover the truth. I took great care in writing this scene from his POV, not
leaving out any details. It is a very pivotal moment in the story and changes
everything. Yay, Jett! He will always be my hero!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
"I am a fan of happily ever after. My novels are too!"
Susan Zoe enjoys creating contemporary, paranormal, fantasy
and romantic suspense stories with a gritty flair. Her stories are her own, and
she typically writes outside the box. She’s always been a leader not a
follower. Writing is her mental filter and how she processes the world around
her, a fictional place where she can control the outcome at her comfort level
with justice and happy endings. Her imagination is her greatest strength as it
carries her away from daily stress.
As a survivor of hardship and chronic disease, she takes one
day at a time and treasures the simple things in life. Susan Zoe is a
Christian, loves animals, and practices being kind and generous every day. When
not immersed in new stories, she enjoys watching movies, Motocross and
Supercross, playing Yahtzee with her fiancé, and hanging out with her loyal
24/7 companion and trained service dog. She’s not a fan of sitcoms as they
don’t offer enough mental stimulation. Losing herself in an intense story gives
her brain the workout it needs to manage OCD, anxiety, depression, and stress.
Her achievements thus far include The Golden Wings Award for
her debut novel The Satellite, the UK Nobel Pin and Editor’s Choice Award for
her poem The Lonely Man, numerous 5 Star Reviews from Fallen Angels Reviews,
Coffee Time Romance, InD’tale Magazine, Goodreads and more for current and
retired novels. She was also a RONE Awards Finalist in 2017.
She loves to hear from readers and chat!
In her words, “Writing is the only time I’m truly free.”
She’s happiest when her intriguing characters come to life and steal her away
into their worlds where anything is possible.
Website:
http://www.susanzoebella.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanZoe
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AuthorSusanZoe
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/authorsusanzoebella
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/authorsusanzoe
Universal:
https://books2read.com/u/3k6n8K
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9XNS82K
Barnes
& Noble/Print and eBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/high-point-susan-zoe-bella/1143732985?ean=9798223585893
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1417168
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/high-point-1
Apple:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/high-point/id6450857036
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY :
Susan Zoe Bella will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you for hosting my High Point book tour :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting today.
ReplyDeletelove the cover. love the story. thank you for the escapism
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jett! What was your favorite part of the book? What did you like most about it?
Deletei like the cave scene. and how understanding Jett was to Mia's fear. the second chance love story. and the forgivness. thank you for the question
DeleteThank you for your comment and your reply! Good luck in the drawing and thanks so much for reading my book! :)
DeleteWhat is on your bucket list?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Tracie! Thank you for visiting my tour stop for High Point. "If" I had a bucket list, hm, I've never considered it actually, hm...it would be to take a cross country trip across America in style to see the movie premier of High Point, and to have my service dog with me :) Tall order, huh? LOL
DeleteThe blurb and excerpt sound good.
ReplyDeleteHello Elaine, thank you for visiting my book tour! I’m happy to see that you enjoyed the post and excerpt 🙂 I do hope you’ll give the book a try.
DeleteLooks like a good read.
ReplyDeleteHello Sherry, thank you so very much! High Point is an awesome story!
DeleteThank you for the excerpt - sounds like a great book!
ReplyDeleteHi Michele, Thank you for visiting my tour. High Point is an awesome book. There's even humor woven in. And, as a,special promo, I've made the book free for the tour through November 30 :)
DeleteThis sounds like a good story.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my tour. High Point is an awesome book. There's even humor woven in. And, as a, special promo, I've made the book free for the tour through November 30 :)
DeleteHopefully, Amazon will adjust the price soon.
DeleteAmazon does not give me the option to list it for free. "Your book must be enrolled in KDP Select to run a price promotion." I was able to lower it to .99 cents. I tried KDP Select when it first released. I get zero sales on Amazon. Most of my sales come from B&N, Apple, Vivlio and Smashwords. Kindle readers can easily grab their free copy from Smashwords as SW offers all formats. :)
DeleteI definitely want to read the scene you described. I really want to see how this couple get back together. Fingers crossed they do.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your interest! I love all the scenes lol. It was hard choosing just one. The cave scene is funny. The scenes when Mackie gets in Mia's face are tense and dramatic with great one-liners. The love scenes are a slow burn. I love to tease! I truly enjoy every scene in this book. It took me many tries to complete this one, and it underwent four title changes. When I came up with High Point, the light bulb went off and I thought, geez, it was right in front of me the whole time. If you're a Kindle-only reader, grab your free copy from Smashwords during the tour!
Delete